Maple Bourbon Glazed Poussins With Cornbread Stuffing Food

MAPLE-ROASTED TURKEY WITH SAGE, SMOKED BACON, AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack.
• Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper.
• In a saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the sage butter, add the onions, cook and stir for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Remove from heat. Put the cornbread in a large mixing bowl and scrape the sauteed onion mixture on top. Add the egg, heavy cream, and just enough chicken stock to moisten the stuffing without making it soggy (about 1/2 cup.) Toss well to combine, season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and legs, and slip pieces of the sage butter underneath; massaging it in as you go. Fill the bird with the cornbread stuffing without packing too tightly; cook the remaining stuffing separately in a buttered baking dish. Truss the turkey; place it on a rack in a large roasting pan, and put into the oven.
• Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes. The turkey should take about 3 hours to cook (i.e. 15 to 20 minutes per pound.) If the legs or breast brown too quickly, cover with foil. About 2 hours into cooking, shingle the strips of bacon oven the turkey breast to cover; continue to roast and baste for another hour or so. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F (the thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat.
• Skim off the excess fat from the pan drippings with a spoon and place the roasting pan over 2 burners set on medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. Whisk the flour into the drippings, stirring as it thickens to prevent lumps. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes and then strain to remove any particles. Serve the gravy with the maple-roasted turkey and cornbread stuffing.

CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• First, make the cornbread. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter the base of a 25cm ovenproof dish and line with baking parchment. Combine the semolina, flour, baking powder, bicarb and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Whisk the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk or yogurt and chillies together in a jug and until combined. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until just combined - be careful not to over-mix. Pour the cornbread batter into the pan and bake for 40-50 mins until golden, then cool completely in the tin.
• Turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Fry the bacon in a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat for 5 mins until it is starting to crisp up and release its fat. Remove to a board, leave to cool slightly, then roughly chop. Tip the onion, garlic and celery into the pan and fry for 8-10 mins until the vegetables are softened and golden. Add a splash of water the mixture starts to catch on the bottom. Stir in the sage.
• Tip the vegetable mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool slightly. Cut the cooled cornbread into 2cm cubes, then add to the bowl of veg along with the chopped bacon. Season and toss to combine. Tip the stuffing mixture into a roughly 20 x 30cm casserole dish. Mix the eggs and vegetable stock together in a jug, then pour this over the stuffing in the dish. Bake for 15-20 mins until the stuffing is golden brown and crisp at the edges.

MAPLE-BUTTER GLAZED CORN BREAD

Steps:

• NOTE: USE REAL BUTTER AND PURE MAPLE SYRUP (DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT USING MARGARINE AND IMITATION MAPLE PANCAKE AND WAFFLE SYRUP!). (STEP ONE): PREHEAT oven to 400°F for sheet cornbread OR 350°F for muffins; BUTTER an 8"x8" square glass baking dish or a 9"x9" glass pie plate (OR grease, then add liners, in up to 18 muffin cups).
• COMBINE the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl (1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon).
• WHISK the wet ingredients well in a small mixing bowl (3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk, 3/4 cup grade A pure maple syrup, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1 lightly beaten large egg).
• ADD the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; STIR just until blended (IF PREPARING MUFFINS, LET BATTER REST 3-4 MINUTES, RE-STIR, THEN FILL MUFFIN CUPS.
• SCRAPE batter into prepared baking dish, or equally into muffin cups, using a flexible spatula.
• BAKE sheet cornbread on center rack at 400°F for 20-25 minutes, OR muffins at 350°F for 18-20 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• MEANWHILE, prepare the MAPLE-BUTTER GLAZE: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon salted real butter. Add 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup. Stir as needed, until flavors meld and consistency is smooth, about 3 minutes. Keep warm on lowest heat.
• IMMEDIATELY after baking while wearing oven mitts, baste the MAPLE-BUTTER GLAZE quickly, neatly and evenly over top of corn bread using a soft pastry brush.
• COVER baking tin with a foil tent (don't allow tent to touch cornbread or muffins), sealing the edges tightly; LET stand for 10 minutes.
• SERVE warm and enjoy.

MAPLE-BOURBON GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Make the glaze: stir all glaze ingredients together in a bowl until blended; set aside (can be made ahead of time and stored in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks).
• Preheat oven to 300°; line a large roasting pan with foil or a silicone baking liner.
• Remove ham from its packaging and drain off any juices.
• Place ham in prepared pan, flat side down, making sure to remove the little plastic disk covering the bone, and cover the ham and pan completely with foil.
• Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 120°, about 2 ½ hours.
• Increase oven temperature to 400° and remove the foil covering from the pan.
• Pour the glaze over the ham and bake uncovered, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices, until the glaze is set, another 20-30 minutes.
• Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Serve the ham drizzled with any remaining glaze/pan drippings.